


The Hermit's Promise

by w0b101



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Developing Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-10
Updated: 2017-06-14
Packaged: 2018-11-12 14:22:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11163681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/w0b101/pseuds/w0b101
Summary: Akira has just about had it with this "Futaba" girl, and her constant annoying texts reminding him to change her heart, but as he explores her palace, he starts to learn more about her and realize that she isn't so bad at all.A fic about the development of Akira and Futaba's relationship in the early months of knowing one another. Spoilers for Summer vacation onward!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Thanks for clicking on this story. I'm in the middle of working on another one (which you should check out), but as chapters for that one get longer and harder to write, I felt bad about leaving readers without something to read every now and then, so I hope I can satisfy fans who are waiting for the completion of that story with updates here every now and then. And for fans who haven't read any of my other work, thank you for reading this one! I really hope you enjoy it. 
> 
> As I was playing through NG+, I noticed that Futaba texts you a lot about changing her heart. A LOT. So I thought it would be fun to explore the effects that has on Akira and how it might influence their relationship. I hope you enjoy.

Futaba Sakura was incredibly annoying.

            At least, that’s what Akira had decided at first, in the days after Alibaba had contacted him and insisted that he track down this Futaba Sakura person and steal their heart; if he didn’t, Alibaba would leak the information that Akira was a Phantom Thief to the police and his young life would almost certainly be over. It didn’t sound like a particularly hard mission at first, stealing the heart of some random girl, but the utter lack of leads, combined with the amount of time that was, effectively, wasted on pursuing her left him feeling more frustrated than he had been with pretty much any of the Phantom Thieves’ prior missions. Even tracking down Kaneshiro hadn’t been so difficult; there were at least journalists who would look into crime bosses downtown, but Futaba Sakura was far more enigmatic. For all intents and purposes, she might as well have not existed. If they hadn’t noticed the shared last name with Sojiro, it was likely they’d never have found Futaba at all.

            After learning about her circumstances, and the nuances of her behavior, though, Akira decided to cut her some slack. Hearing what Sojiro had to say about her, and all the things she’s been through in the past made him genuinely sympathize with her. He knew what it was like to be treated poorly by family members, but he couldn’t imagine what she must’ve been feeling when her mother died, right in front of her eyes. How could he possibly think of someone like that as annoying? If anything, now he just wanted to change her heart more, not just for the sake of the Phantom Thieves, but for the sake of her as well. He wanted to help her.

            Well, he did, anyway. But he changed his mind.

            Futaba Sakura was extremely annoying.

            Alibaba: _What do you mean you haven’t done anything yet!? I thought you were gonna change my heart!_

            Akira sighed as he laid down in bed, now in his pajamas for the night. He had intended on going to sleep early, but it looked like ‘Alibaba’ had other plans – as soon as she’d seen him enter Leblanc she started blowing up his phone with obnoxious messages about whether or not he was actually going to steal her heart. They’d become a constant presence since their quest to change her heart started, and for the past 3 days he’d gotten more text messages from her than he had all of his friends combined.

            “Is that Alibaba again?” asked Morgana, who groaned with annoyance when Akira nodded to confirm his suspicions. “That girl just won’t leave us alone. . . If only she knew that Phantom Thievery required a lot of careful preparation.”

            “I have a feeling that, even if she did, she still wouldn’t stop. . .”

            “True enough. Are you gonna text her back?” asked the boy’s cat companion as he licked his paws, beginning his nightly grooming.

            “Might as well. Could be good for a laugh,” he said nonchalantly as he clicked on the text box and shot back a reply.

            Akira: _I meant what I said. I haven’t done anything yet._

            Akira: _I’m still planning to change your heart, but these things take time._

            Alibaba: _How much time? I’ve been watching you for days now, and you haven’t done anything at all! What could you possibly be doing with so much free time?_

Akira: _You don’t expect me to drop my entire life just to change your heart as quickly as possible, right? That seems a bit unrealistic._

            He smirked slightly as she began typing back what was almost certainly an aggravated response. Pretty much the only things that kept him capable of sustaining these text barrages were the occasional sassy messages he got to send her.

            Alibaba: _It’s not unrealistic at all. I told you that if you don’t change my heart as soon as possible that I’m going to report you to the police, didn’t I? I have tons of evidence!_

            Akira’s smirk was quickly wiped away by her response. Whenever he was having a little bit of fun with their conversations, she was quick to remind him that she had dirt on the Phantom Thieves. It was pretty much how every single one of their conversations went, really; she would say something along the lines of ‘Why aren’t you doing anything,’ then Akira would shoot back ‘I will soon enough’ and maybe a sarcastic joke, and then she’d remind him of the stakes in the endeavor. He was getting tired of it. _Maybe I should send her something intimidating too. . ._

            Akira: _Phantom thievery may be a crime, but you know what else is? Blackmailing. Hacking someone’s phone. Bugging someone’s living space to eavesdrop on them._

            Akira: _If you don’t calm down a little, maybe we won’t be the only ones going to jail at the end of this month._

Alibaba: _You don’t have any proof._

            Akira: _I’ve got my phone’s chat log. And I bet if I looked reeeaaal hard, I could find the bugs downstairs easily._

Morgana, who was watching from beside him, snickered ever so slightly. “Not bad at all, Joker,” he said, as Akira offered a prideful smile.

            Alibaba: _You’re not as stupid as I thought._

            Alibaba: _But putting cameras in the store owned by my adoptive father is hardly as bad a crime as . . . whatever it is you guys do. I think I have more leverage here._

            Despite the fact that Akira was proud to have had her concede even an inch to him, he had to acknowledge that she was right. Not only was her position far more justifiable, but the Phantom Thieves were already wanted criminals. Even if he _did_ turn in Futaba for what she did, she could probably just go free by giving the police all the info she had on the Phantom Thieves. _Looks like we gotta play along. . ._

            Akira: _Yeah, yeah. I don’t intend to go back on our deal. All I’m saying is I wish you would calm down with the constant messages. We’re going to change your heart, promise._

            Alibaba: _You say that, but if I don’t start seeing some progress immediately I’m going to be seriously mad. I mean, how much time can stealing hearts even take?_

            Akira tried to send her another message, but he got the usual error message that meant she was bored of arguing and decided to disconnect. Morgana rolled his eyes. “She has no idea. . . Well, whatever. As long as we’re done by the deadline, we’ll never have to worry about this girl again. Speaking of, are we infiltrating the palace tomorrow, Joker?”

            “Might as well, if for nothing other than to shut her up. . .” He tossed his phone to the side and laid back into his bed, trying to ignore the summer heat that crept through the window. “Plus, the AC in her palace is nicer than in this place.”

            “True. We sure live in a dump, huh?”

            “Yep. Night, Morgana.”

            “Night, Joker!”

 

 

            Joker looked up from his phone, and sure enough, he had left the real world and arrived in the Palace. He and his fellow Phantom Thieves had come here once before, when Shadow Futaba had almost killed them with that rock trap, but this marked their first official infiltration of the palace with the goal of progress rather than scouting in mind. He’d meticulously prepared everything from weapons and armor to medicine, and even spent some time in the Velvet Room fusing particularly strong Personas. He was ready to tear through this place as fast as possible, if only because he just didn’t want to get any of Futaba’s texts anymore.

            The rest of the team was just as raring to go, and they were inside the pyramid within seconds of entering the palace proper. Joker kept his eyes firmly trained ahead and on the lookout for shadows, and sure enough, he saw one, but it wasn’t the kind of shadow he’d expected to see.

            It was a short – really short – girl, with orange waist length hair and piercing yellow eyes. Her massive spectacles weren’t the only odd thing about her attire; she dressed as though she were the Pharaoh of this tomb, though it wasn’t totally inaccurate to say she was. They’d seen her here last time they entered the Palace, but Joker hadn’t really gotten a good look what with the giant rock tumbling at him immediately after they’d met. Upon closer examination, she was kind of pretty. Not what Joker had expected from a NEET shut in who hadn’t left her room in literal years. Even with the odder parts of the shadow’s visage, like the yellow eyes and green eye shadow, she was pretty attractive. _She probably only looks better in real life,_ he thought absentmindedly, before approaching her and hearing out what she had to say.

 

 

            “Aaaand she’s sending us on a goose chase.” Skull kicked up his feet from the back seat and sighed, resting his arms behind his head. They were in the Monamobile, on their way to a town bordering the pyramid, for no other reason than Shadow Futaba insisted they go there. Joker was beginning to get the feeling that doing things that weren’t at all necessary was going to become a theme of this particular infiltration.  

            “Skull, put your arms down . . .! Your pits seriously stink!” said Panther with annoyance, pinching her nose.

            Fox turned away as gracefully as he could. “I would appreciate that as well, Skull,” he said, eyes watering from the stench.

            “It ain’t my fault Mona’s AC sucks! This stuff was bad enough in our school uniforms, but in heavy leather it’s even worse. . . Speakin’ of, how the hell are you still alive, dude?” asked Skull as he looked toward Joker, who admittedly probably had it the worst of anyone in the heat department.

            He tried to keep his cool, literally and figuratively, by fanning himself with his hand. “It’s not so bad,” he said, ignoring the fact that he could potentially suffer heat stroke at any moment with how hot his jacket was. “The only annoying part of this is the shadow forcing us to leave the pyramid in the first place. . .”

            “I’m with you there,” said Skull, his aggravation evident. “It almost feels like this girl’s deliberately messing with us. First the giant rock, and now this stuff. . . Can’t she do anything straight forward?”

            “It’s not her fault,” said Queen, defending the not-present victim of their criticisms. “She’s been through so much. It’s not too surprising that she can’t help pushing people away.”

            “I get that, but I’m a lot less inclined to be okay with it when that instinct of hers is tryin’ to get us killed.” He rolled his neck and sighed. “I can’t be the only one getting annoyed with it, right?”

            “No, I’m frustrated by it too. . . I simply try to remain positive. If we allow ourselves to grow frustrated, we won’t move at any consistent pace,” said Fox, in his infinite wisdom.

            “You know, you say things that aren’t wrong, but for some reason I still seriously wanna smack you when I hear ‘em. . .” Skull set his feet down and leaned forward, tapping Joker on the shoulder.  “How’re you feeling about all this, dude?”

            “Let’s just get through this as quickly as we can,” said their ever ambiguous leader, trying not to seem as irritated as he really was.  He tried to get comfortable as he braced himself for the many obnoxious puzzles that were no doubt to come.

 

           

            “Okay, that’s it – I have _seriously_ had it with this girl!” said Skull as he sprinted downhill to flee from the giant rock cascading after him. The Phantom Thieves just barely hung a right quickly enough to avoid being crushed, or sent spiraling to their doom, and proceeded to catch their breaths after yet another close encounter with death. “Giant rocks, quicksand traps. . . She coulda’ skewered Joker with all those spikes! No Palace has tried this hard to get us killed before!”

            “I-I was trying to give her the benefit of the doubt, but I think I’m starting to agree. . . The shadows popping out of nowhere while we’re ‘cursed’ has almost gotten us killed several times. . .” said Queen. 

            Joker wanted to tell Skull to calm down, but honestly, he didn’t feel a lot of ‘calming down’ in him. He was just as livid with these constant life-threatening traps, barriers to progress, and innumerable dead ends. _It’s gonna be real tough to not take out my aggression on the real Futaba. . ._ he thought. Still, he had his priorities straight; he took a look around to ensure no one was injured or missing. “Everyone’s okay, right?”

            “We are alright, Joker. If you’d like to continue progressing, we can,” said Fox, although the whole group looked a little more tired than they were letting on. _They’re trying too hard,_ thought Akira with concern, before a wry smile crossed his lips. _Well, then again, so am I._

            “You guys rest up for a second,” he said as he leaned down and investigated the small tunnel across the way. “I should fit through here. I’m gonna scout on ahead.”

            “You sure about this, Joker?” asked Mona, eyebrows raised with concern. “I’m not tired. I can come with you if you want.”

            “Seriously, take some time to rest. We’re all exhausted. I just wanna see what’s on the other side of this wall, and we can head back for the day." Giving the team time to rest was only half of the reason Joker wanted to go now; he figured there was some kind of trap on the other side of this wall, and he didn’t want to bother everyone else with dealing with it after it triggered. _Might as well just get it out of the way now._

            Mona begrudgingly accepted his proposal. “Alright. . . Be careful, Joker. Everyone, let’s take some time to rest up!” he said as they prepared the usual break formation. Joker, in the meantime, kneeled down and started crawling through the small tunnel.

            _What obnoxious trap could I be dealing with today?_ he mused internally as he emerged from the pit. Looking around, there was no such trap to be seen, but he wasn’t one to take chances with that sort of thing. He took a few steps forward, making sure to carefully analyze the floor as he walked to spot any trip wires, pressure plates, or other triggers.

            “What’re you looking for?”

            It took a lot of willpower to not jump at the shocking voice that mysteriously rung out from behind him. Joker made sure to turn around slowly, and came eye to eye (well, not quite eye to eye – she was about a head shorter than him) with Shadow Futaba. She looked up at him curiously, with an almost innocent amusement to her gaze. It was a breath of fresh air when compared to the usual contempt the Phantom Thieves received from Shadows, but it wasn’t altogether welcome when Joker considered that this Shadow was the one that had almost killed him for the umpteenth time that night.

            He cleared his throat and spoke calmly, figuring a shadow wouldn’t just show itself to him for no reason. “Another one of your traps.”

            “Oh, right, those. . . Are they really hindering you that much? You guys are taking _forever_.” The comment didn’t seem to have too much ill-will behind it; she seemed annoyed rather than angry.

            Beneath his mask, Joker’s eyebrow twitched. “You really are her shadow. . .” He sighed. “Why’re you here, anyway?”

            “I don’t know. I got bored waiting,” said the Shadow as she took a few steps past Joker. Upon closer examination, her form was ephemeral, as though she were a ghost simply drifting through these haunted tome halls. _She really is serious about wanting to die in here._ “But you know, I wouldn’t be so bored if you just went a little faster.”

            Yet another twitch. _This girl really is insufferable. . ._ He clenched his teeth in annoyance before calming himself down and speaking again. “Why do you even want us to go deeper?”

            “Huh?” She tilted her head as though she didn’t understand.

            “You keep coming out to coax us deeper in. Why is it so important to you that we progress? Even in the real world you won’t quit bugging me about it,” he said without even attempting to mask his aggravation. He wasn’t proud of it, but snapping at her shadow was a tad cathartic. “Would it kill you to just leave us alone?”

            Surprisingly, she didn’t provide a witty quip or threat in response as she would in the real world. Instead, she just looked down, and an immense sorrow panned across her face, as though she were hurt by his comments. Joker felt the guilt wash over him immediately, but it was only amplified when he heard what she said next. “I’m lonely,” she said, quietly.

            To say he was taken aback would be an understatement. He had absolutely no idea what to say to her, and no idea to recover from how he’d treated her just seconds prior. He fumbled for some words, but nothing came out.

            Shadow Futaba looked at him for a few seconds and furrowed her brow. “Are you alright?” she asked, confused by his behavior.

            Joker frantically cleared his throat. “I-I’m fine,” he said, trying to regain some control.

            “Good. You were acting weird. I wouldn’t want you to crap out on me before you’ve even done what you came here to do.” She said it without smiling, which left Joker puzzled, but there was a hint of amusement in her gaze.

            Joker tried to avoid her line of sight. He felt pretty terrible about what he’d said. He was hostile with this girl for no reason, and it wasn’t like she could help what was going on in her palace. _Now I just have to get through here even faster. . ._ He wanted to make eye contact, but the most he could muster was a sidelong glance. “Futaba. . . We’re coming for you, alright?”

            She just continued staring at him for a few moments. But after a little while, she did something Joker never would’ve expected her to do. She smiled. “I know,” she said, in an unexpectedly sweet voice.

            Her grin was contagious. Joker couldn’t help a smile from creeping onto his face, too, as he watched her. _I guess she isn’t all bad. . ._

            “But you’d better come quick. I’m getting seriously tired of watching you guys flounder through all these traps. . .” She sighed, evidently annoyed, before disappearing.

            Another twitch.

            _She had to leave on that note?_ It was Joker’s turn to sigh, letting his irritation flow freely, but still, he felt a little bit better. _At least I know she’s not just being obnoxious for the fun of it._ He turned back to the small tunnel after making sure there were no traps in the immediate vicinity and reconvened with his group, before heading back for the day.

 

            Alibaba: _So? Were you actually DOING something today?_

            Akira’s phone buzzed the instant he walked into Leblanc. It wasn’t even empty; there were customers around, and Sojiro was working the counter, but that didn’t stop her from sending her daily pestering text message.

            Sojiro rolled his eyes at Akira. “You’re always on your phone these days. . . Did you get a girlfriend or something?” he asked.

            Akira chuckled at the thought. _If only he knew it was his daughter I was talking to._ “No, just a friend,” he replied. “I’m gonna head upstairs, okay?”

            Sojiro sent him off with a nod and Akira hurried to his bedroom before sending her back a text.

            Akira: _Don’t you have anything better to do than watch for the moment I get home each and every day?_

            Alibaba: _I have many monitors, so you are but one of the tasks I’m forced to deal with every day._

            Alibaba: _And if you want me to stop watching you, you could hurry it up already. I’m serious about reporting you to the police._

            Akira: _I know, I know. This makes the umpteenth time you’ve said it._

            Alibaba: _Then you should understand how dire your circumstances are!_

            Akira bit his lip, half considering sending back another cheeky reply, but his mind drifted back to his conversation with her shadow. _She’s only doing this ‘cause she’s lonely, huh. . ._ He laid back on his mattress.

            Akira: _I know. I understand._

            Akira: _You’re our top priority at the moment. I promise we’ll change your heart ASAP._

            _Alibaba is typing. . ._

            Alibaba: _Good. I’m glad we’re on the same page._

            Akira smiled. She seemed at least a little taken aback by the fact that he’d sent something nice to her, and he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t at least a little proud of that. Still, just saying he was for sure going to change her heart didn’t seem like enough. . . _I wonder if she’s disconnected me. Might as well text her and find out._ He took a shot in the dark and typed the first thing that came to mind.

            Akira: _So, what kind of things do you like?_

_Alibaba is typing. . ._

            He didn’t get the error message, and she was sending a reply, so it meant she hadn’t disconnected yet. _Maybe she wants to talk._

            Alibaba: _Why are you being so nice to me?_

            A simple, and fair, question. Akira almost didn’t know the answer himself. Pity, perhaps? _Well, even if it is that, I can’t exactly tell her._ He decided on something simple.

            Akira: _Well, just because we’re in a business arrangement doesn’t mean we can’t be friends. We’re both teenagers._

            Akira: _I want to know more about you. It might help with the heart stealing too._

            She didn’t send a reply for a long time, and after a few minutes, Akira didn’t expect her to. He got up and changed into his pajamas, but when he got back to the mattress she still hadn’t sent anything. _Guess she doesn’t wanna talk. Well, whatever. . ._ He laid back down in bed and tried to get some shut eye, but didn’t get to rest for long before his phone went off once more.

            Alibaba: _I like video games. And TV shows. And computers._  

            He was surprised to see that she responded at all, although the contents of the reply were about what he’d expected from a shut in. A fond smile rose to his lips as he thought of the pharaoh he’d seen earlier hunched over a keyboard, obsessively playing some games.

            Akira: _That’s cool. I don’t know nearly as much about computers as you do, but I like games too. Though I haven’t really had the dough to get anything fancy._

            Akira: _Just some retro console from the second hand store down the street._

            Alibaba: _You bought that!? I was gonna make Sojiro get it for me!_

            Akira chuckled from behind his phone screen. _Even when I’m trying to be nice I make her mad._

            Akira: _How could I have possibly known that?_

            Alibaba: _You couldn’t have, but now that you know you should give it to me as a sign of goodwill!_

            _She really is all over the place, isn’t she? Sojiro wasn’t kidding when he said she was ‘odd.’_

            Akira: _No can do. But, since you seem so invested in it. . ._

            Akira: _You should come over here some time. We could play together._

She didn’t reply for a long while after he sent the message. He wasn’t surprised, either; he sent the invitation knowing it would probably get declined. _You can’t just ask a shut-in if they want to come over. . ._ But still, after hearing what her shadow had to say earlier, he wanted to at least extend the offer. It might make her feel better.

            Alibaba: _Fine. But only after you steal my heart!_

            Akira widened his eyes at the response. Out of everything he’d thought would happen, her saying “fine” (even with a condition) was at the bottom of the list. Still, a smile of satisfaction quickly crept its way back to his lips as he responded.

            Akira: _Sounds like a plan. In exchange, I expect you to let me get my hands on some of those fancy computers in your room._

            Alibaba: _Grr. . . Fine._

            He found himself laughing at the response. _Did she really type out ‘grr’? She’s adorable._

            Akira: _Alright, then it’s a deal. Goodnight._

            Alibaba: _Wait._

            Akira: _?_

Alibaba: _You ARE gonna steal my heart, right?_

            Akira: _Of course. I promise._

            In any other setting, the request would’ve annoyed the hell out of Akira, considering how many times he’s heard it in the past few days, but something about the way she wanted the constant assurance made him feel a little bad. _I didn’t think about things from her position. . . It probably feels pretty awful to be in the dark about all this. Guess I’ll just have to work double time then._

            Alibaba: _Alright. . . I believe you._

            Alibaba: _Goodnight._

            Akira: _Goodnight._

            Or, he would’ve said goodnight, but he got the “partner disconnected” error. That was usually what she did to cut off an argument, so Akira found it somewhat satisfying for her to only use it when the conversation was officially over. _She’s not so bad, I guess. . ._ he thought, before rolling over into his mattress and drifting off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

            Ever since he’d started being just the slightest bit nicer to her, Akira’s relationship with Futaba Sakura had become a tad more complex.

            He looked down at his phone screen below the counter of the convenience store and waited patiently for the number to change, indicating that his shift was over. Being a Phantom Thief was an expensive habit, so part time work was essential, but that didn’t mean he wanted to do it. Waiting on people was exhausting. Still, the pay was alright, and it was only a few hours a day, so it made it all worth it when his coworker finally stepped out from the back and said “Your shift is over. You can go, Kurusu-kun.”

            He changed out of his uniform at lightning speed, picked up Morgana, and left the store before pulling out his phone.

            Akira: _Green light._

            Alibaba: _Finally! At this rate I thought you were trying to shut me up._

            Futaba – or rather, Alibaba, as she insisted to be called – had started texting him nonstop ever since he’d extended that friendly offer a few days prior. As a result, it was hard to find times when his phone _wasn’t_ going off. It didn’t bug him that she wanted to talk, but he was a busy person, and his phone constantly making noise would definitely get in the way of his work or meetings with friends. Of course, he also didn’t want to ignore her for hours on end, so they’d established a system – if Akira said “Red light,” it meant Futaba wasn’t allowed to text him, but as soon as he said “Green light” she was cleared to resume. Normally, she texted back within a minute or two.

            Akira: _I was at work, so of course I was trying to shut you up. I have to focus, you know. No distractions._

Alibaba: _Rude! You’re a bully, Akira!_ _(_ _ノ_ __ <_ _。_ _)_

            _Another one of her emoticons. . ._ Now that they were speaking on a semi-friendly level, her texts weren’t nearly as professional as they’d used to be. In fact, they were laced with colloquialisms, internet terms Akira didn’t understand, and emoticons that were so complex Akira wondered how she typed them out so fast. It was cute, but it could get annoying really fast. _Well, I suppose that’s Futaba in a nutshell. . ._

Alibaba: _Besides, I know you don’t pay much attention anyway._

            A half smile drifted to his face. Teasing her had become one of his pastimes as of late, but he especially enjoyed that she could bite back just as well. It made trading quips all the more fun.

            Alibaba: _But anyway, you never answered my question! Sojiro says I can either get those Featherman figures I showed you, or buy new headphones. What do you think?_

            Akira: _You already have nice headphones, don’t you?_

            Alibaba: _Yeah, but these ones have surround sound! It’s, like, totally immersive!_ _(* ^ ω ^)_

            Akira: _But your current headphones work fine, don’t they? Is surround sound really worth a few hundred dollars?_

            Alibaba: _Well, I guess not. . . But they look really nice!_ _(_ _ಥ_ _﹏_ _ಥ_ _)_

            Akira: _If you’re getting something just ‘cause it looks nice, you should get the figures. It’s what they’re for. They’re cheaper anyway, right?_

            Alibaba: _Hmm. I suppose so. Your consultation is valued, citizen!_

            He sighed at her eccentricity. She’d started to show more of her true colors since their correspondence began, and Akira knew now that Sojiro’s assessment of her oddities was pretty spot on. She flopped all over the place in terms of mannerisms and mood; it took Akira all his conversational skills to keep up with her, and even then he usually aggravated her in some way or another no matter what he said. But he supposed it didn’t matter, as long as she was having fun.

            Alibaba: _So, are you gonna work on stealing my heart today? You better if you don’t have anything going on!_ _(_ _＃_ _`Д´)_

            Akira chuckled. _I suppose that’s better than ‘if you don’t do it I’ll get you arrested.’_

            Akira: _I was planning to. We’ve been making good progress._

            That was kind of a lie. He hadn’t been to the Palace since the last time, but with good reason; their previous expedition showed that they weren’t as prepared as he thought they’d been. Even if they made it pretty far, the shadows were really tough, tougher than they’d ever been before, and the Phantom Thieves needed to be at their best to take them on. As a result, their exploits of late included more going into Mementos and training than actual Palace expeditions. That said, he felt like everyone had made some considerable progress since their last endeavor, so he was planning to go to the Palace today and put that to the test.

            Alibaba: _Good. I know you’ll take any opportunity to slack off, but this is really important!_

            Akira: _I know. I promised you I’d get it done, didn’t I?_

            Alibaba: _You did, and I trust you._

            Alibaba: _Kind of._

            Alibaba: _Say, how do you guys “steal hearts” anyway? I’ve been paying close attention to everything going on around me, but none of it seems indicative of any criminal activity._

            Akira: _It’s pretty complicated. Too complicated to type out over the phone anyway._

            Alibaba: _That’s not fair. I deserve to know what’s being done to me, don’t I?_

            Akira: _You wouldn’t believe me if I told you._

            Alibaba: _Keeping secrets is mean, you know._

            Akira: _Says the girl who wouldn’t even tell me her name previously._

            Alibaba: _True. I guess it’s okay to keep some secrets._

            _Well, she flipped her stance on that pretty quick. . ._ Akira sighed and took a look at his surroundings. He was almost at the station. _I should text the others and let them know we’re going to the Palace today. . ._

            Morgana poked his head out from the bag on Akira’s back and loomed over his phone screen. “Are you texting Alibaba again? Does that mean we’re going to the Palace today?”  

            “Yes and yes. I’ll text the others.” He fired off a _Meetup @ Leblanc_ text in the group chat before dipping back into his messages with Alibaba.

            Akira: _Anyway, I’ve got to get to work on Phantom Thief things. I’ll talk to you later tonight, Futaba._

            Alibaba: _Hey! I told you not to call me by my name! It’s Alibaba!_

            Alibaba: _Grr, go do Phantom Thief things already!_  

            And with that, she disconnected, leaving Akira to his duties.

 

 

            Joker sprinted down the ancient hallway at breakneck pace, only to slow at the last second and quietly pace toward the corner. He peered around it with an eagle’s eye and, upon noting that there wasn’t any danger, started creeping around it cautiously. He had to be extra careful, not only because this Palace was booby trapped, but because at that moment, he was alone.

           

            “These curses are friggin’ annoying!” shouted Skull as he punched the wall after yet another uncomfortably close encounter. “If one more of those damn dog head guys pops out of a coffin and almost kills us, I’m gonna lose it!”

            Panther nodded her agreement, which was uncommon – she was rarely on Skull’s side when he was this angry. “Those shadows are clearly stronger than us. . . We haven’t made any progress, and we’re already exhausted. . .”

            “Maybe we’re just not ready for a Palace on this level,” said Queen with dejection. “Should we head back for the day?”

            “Loathe as I am to admit it, it probably would be for the best if we kept training in Mementos, or even tried to locate another hacker to help us with this Medjed crisis,” said Fox.

            “No.” Joker’s voice rung out with an unexpected stony resoluteness. “I don’t want to go back just yet.”

            Mona widened his eyes, somewhat surprised. “I know it’s frustrating, Joker, but safety has to come first. . .”

            “I know that. But we have to get a little further, or we’re never gonna make it through this place in time. Don’t you remember what’s going to happen if we don’t finish this?” In truth, he didn’t much care about the consequences of not finishing in time anymore; he was more worried about breaking his promise. He’d sworn to both Futaba and her shadow alike that he was going to do this, so giving up wasn’t an option, even if it was risky.

            “Of course I remember, but . . .” Mona trailed off.

            “I’ve got an idea.” He held up the small green crystal that was the source of their vexation at this particular moment in time. “The shadows are sabotaging us because we have this, right?”

            “That seems to be what the headstones are suggesting. . . But what do you propose we do, Joker? We need them to activate those green light bridges that allow us to progress, and to activate the rays of light that destroy the blockades in the great corridor,” said Queen.

            “It’s simple. I’ll take the crystal and distract them while you guys work on thinning their numbers,” he proclaimed with a smile.

            Mona rubbed his paws against one another in thought. “That’s pretty risky, Joker, but also pretty smart. . . I’m on board with the idea.”

           

            Everyone had agreed, so here he was, weaving through the corridors of this Palace all while avoiding the legions of shadows that had been sent to “curse” him. It felt like they could track his every move with how often they showed up, but with his multitude of Personas it usually wasn’t hard to knock them down and slip away when they did catch him. _So far, it’s been smooth sailing. . ._ Joker wasn’t heading in any particular direction, so he didn’t know if he was heading deeper in or further out. _As long as the shadows are occupied, I guess. . ._

            He peeked around another corner to get a look at what was inside. The walls were lined with sarcophagi with one particularly large one at the back, which served as a stepping stool for reaching a corridor on the far wall. The thief frowned, knowing that most of them would probably pop open given the ‘curse’ that was placed upon him. But that only held his attention for a moment, as something far more intriguing caught his eye further into the room. He saw that one particular shadow he’d grown to dread seeing throughout the course of this investigation.

            The ephemeral form of Shadow Futaba stood in the center of the room, and even with his experience sneaking around, she seemed to know that he was around the corner. “Are you there?” she asked, though she obviously already knew the answer.

            Joker didn’t much care to hide from her, so he stepped into the room slowly, hands placed in his pockets (next to his weapons, in case he needed them). “You caught me.”

            The shadow’s expression didn’t shift, but she nodded. “I’ve been waiting for you. . . Akira.”

            The utterance of his name caught him off guard. He would be the first to admit that their “costumes” weren’t the best at obscuring their identity – the only costume that concealed anyone’s face well was Fox’s – but shadows rarely took the time to call anyone by name unless they had a deep personal connection, like Madarame and Yusuke, or when they were terrorizing them, like Kamoshida had done with Ryuji.

            Still, he maintained his composure and took a look around. “And why’s that?” he asked, trying to sound as aloof as possible.

            “I wanted to make sure you’re going to keep your promise. And . . . I wanted to show you something.” Her voice was as wispy as her physical form, and she turned toward the particularly large coffin behind her. She floated up on top of it, then onto the wall beyond it, before turning back to face him. The shadow beckoned him with her hand, before pacing into the corridor above.

            Joker had done this enough times to know that whenever Shadow Futaba wanted to show him something, things would go wrong. That’s why he wasn’t surprised when the sarcophagi burst open, and the mummified shadows started staggering toward him.

            He sighed. “I had a feeling. . . I’ll catch up in a minute,” he said to no one in particular before readying his weapons.

 

            Joker was out of breath, energy, and ammo alike by the time he finished off the last of the shadows, leaving him gasping as he struggled to climb up the sarcophagus and wall that Shadow Futaba had easily floated over. Still, he made it to the top before collapsing to his knees to take a breath.

            Shadow Futaba stood over him. “There you are. I was coming to check on you, since you were so late. . . I thought you might’ve died.”

            “I very well could’ve, thanks to you. . .” he spat, but then he remembered to calm himself down. _It’s not her fault she can’t control anything in here. . . Go easy on her._ “Well, whatever. I’m here now. Sorry I’m late.”

            “You’re forgiven. Follow me. I still want to show you that thing.” She started walking down the long hallway ahead of them. “I understand you all are having trouble making it through here.”

            “Well, the shadows in here don’t mess around. . . And neither does your cognition,” he chided. “Think I can ask for a personal favor and get you to turn off the rest of the traps?”

            “I can’t turn them off. And as for the shadows, maybe if you weren’t so lazy you’d able to defeat them.”

            A familiar smile tugged at Joker’s lips. It felt just like one of their text conversations with all the poking fun and admonishing messages, except he was a Phantom Thief and she was a Pharaoh in this particular instance. “Right, I’m sorry.” He turned his attention to the walls and scanned the variety of patterns that shone from them in green light, everything from binary to emoticons shining through. Come to think of it, he’d seen a lot of emoticons in this Palace – most of the hieroglyphs were interlaced with them. And he knew well from experience that she was a big fan of them in the real world. “You like emoticons, huh?” he asked absentmindedly, trying both to learn more about her, and to fill the awkward silence that stretched through the hall.

            She offered her companion a sidelong glance. “I do. They’re cute, and effective.” Her frown grew a tad deeper. “I’m not very good at communicating with people, so it’s a lot easier when I can express my emotions with a face rather than my words. . .”

            Joker’s expression softened below his mask. “That makes sense, I guess. . . Though, if it means anything, I understand you just fine. Even without the emoticons.”

            Shadow Futaba’s sidelong glance turned into a look of shock. “. . . Really?”

            “Yeah. You’re pretty well spoken – or, well typed. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

            She continued staring at him for a few moments before her gaze dropped to the floor. “I guess. . .”

            The conversation fizzled out then and there. She didn’t look like she wanted to talk, so Joker let things drop. _As long as shadows aren’t popping out of the walls and spikes aren’t coming up through the floors, I’m happy._ _Though, I wonder what she’s trying to show me. . ._

            Eventually, they came upon one of those small pedestals with a circular indentation at the top. _This is where those green gems from Anubis statues are supposed to go. . ._ Shadow Futaba stepped to the side of it and gestured at the hole on top.

            “Place the crystal in here. It will take you where you need to go.” With that, she disappeared.

            “As enigmatic as ever, huh. . .” Still, Joker wanted nothing more than to be rid of this curse, so he popped the crystal in readily before looking around to see what he had done.

            Similarly to what it had done in the past, putting the crystal in its new home created a bunch of those green light columns for him to jump across, leading to the other side of the pit. Joker smiled, not only rid of the crystal now, but with a clear way forward. “I’m sure the others won’t mind if I go on ahead for a little bit,” he mused to himself excitedly before hopping across.

 

            After traversing through the room with the giant statues in it, Joker found himself back above the Grand Corridor in front of one of those scrambled up murals. However, this one was barely recognizable. He saw parts that distinctly looked like Futaba’s pharaoh self, and another woman, but where to put things was lost on him. _Better get to work, I guess. . ._

 

            It took what felt like an eternity, so long that Joker was surprised, and a little worried, that the other Phantom Thieves hadn’t caught up to him yet, but that didn’t stop him from sliding the last piece into position. The mural flashed once to indicate that it was complete and Joker stepped back to get a look at what scene was depicted here.

            A young girl, who was clearly Futaba as indicated by the hair and pharaoh’s clothing, was tugging on the skirt of an older woman. The older woman looked upset; the child was pulling her away from her work, and she clearly didn’t want to spend time with the youngling at that moment. The girl seemed saddened by this, and Joker assumed it must’ve been yet another one of Futaba’s memories.

            “She thinks her mother hated her. . .” said the wispy voice of Shadow Futaba from behind Joker.

            He furrowed his brow and turned to face her. _Thinks. . .? And why is she speaking in the third person?_ “Why does she think that?” he asked.

            “All she did was annoy her mother, and because of that, her mother grew to resent her. . . Maybe if she had just let her mother finish her research, or not been born at all, her mother would still be alive. She’s thinking those kinds of things. . . That is why she wants to die here.”

            “But . . . this doesn’t add up. When I talked to Sojiro, he said that Wakaba was happy, and always did her best to take care of Futaba. It has to be some kind of misunderstanding.”

            The shadow shook her head in resignation. “It matters not. That is what she believes, and that is why she will die here, either by the hand of time, or by her own.”

            Joker tightened his fists at his side. He hadn’t known her for long, but the thought of anything bad happening to Futaba made his gut churn. “I won’t let that happen. She deserves better.”

            “Then you must change her heart. Help her to see the truth.” As the girl spoke, a soft smile rose to her face, as though she were content with Joker’s decision.

            “I will. I promised, remember?” he said, offering back a similar smile.

            The shadow said nothing more. She faded, as did the mural, and the barrier preventing Joker’s progress through the Grand Corridor receded, revealing what looked like the very top of the staircase. _Well, that wasn’t the plan, but I’m far from complaining. Time to go find the others. . ._

 

            Akira: _I’m home._

            Alibaba: _Welcome back._

            Akira wasted no time changing into his pajamas and crawling into bed after getting home. After a whole day in a Palace acting mostly on his own, he was exhausted. Normally, he at least _tried_ to do things until giving into Morgana’s insistence that he go to sleep, but this time he needed no convincing. He wanted more than anything to shut his eyes and sleep for a day or two, but he had too many important things on his mind to go to sleep right away.

            The door they’d found at the top of the Grand Corridor staircase was a block in Futaba’s cognition. The Phantom Thieves would have to get her to open her door in the real world in order to get that one to open. At first it seemed like yet another annoying and aggravating delay of their progress, but Morgana insisted the treasure was right behind it, so they were planning to deliver the calling card on the same day to maximize time efficiency. They were going to take one more day to rest and prepare, but after that, it was go time. The thought of pushing it off an extra day made Akira worry; after what her shadow said, he was concerned Futaba might actually hurt herself, but they all needed the time to rest.

            That was one of the reasons he was texting her. She seemed to enjoy it, so he figured, since he had to push things back, he might as well try to keep her in the best mood possible until the change of heart takes place. Of course, that wasn’t the only reason; he had something he wanted to ask her as well.

            Akira: _Hey, do you mind if I ask you something?_

            Alibaba: _Depends on what you’re asking! I **am** the enigmatic Alibaba, after all. But go ahead and try me!_

            Akira: _I wanted to ask about your mother._

_Alibaba is typing. . ._

            He knew it was an extremely invasive and prying question, but he needed to confirm how Futaba felt about her mother. He wanted to make sure that Futaba really held herself accountable, and maybe find out why. She didn’t seem like the type of girl to jump to conclusions without a good reason, so figuring out what that reason was could help him with the change of heart.

            Plus, he was just curious.

            Alibaba: _I don’t really want to talk about that._

            Akira: _Are you sure? Sometimes talking makes you feel better._

_Alibaba is typing. . ._

            Alibaba: _I don’t want to just pour out everything to a stranger I’ve never even met._

            Akira: _I’m not a stranger. I’m your friend._

            Akira: _And if you wanted, we could meet right now. Head outside._

            Alibaba: _You know I can’t do that!_

            Akira: _Only kidding. But I really do think it’d be good for you to have someone to talk about it with._

            Alibaba: _But still. . ._

            Akira frowned. _She clearly doesn’t wanna talk about this. . . Maybe I should drop it. But . . ._ He thought back to what her shadow had said, about how she needed to see the truth. _Shadows are the sides of people they don’t want to see, and her shadow clearly knows something. . . Maybe there’s something **I** don’t know that she’s denying to herself. Talking about it could help her realize. I have to do whatever I can to get her to open up to me. _

            Akira: _Well, if you’re not comfortable sharing, how about I go first?_

            Alibaba: _Huh?_

            Akira: _I’m speaking to you from a cluttered, dusty attic above a coffee shop right now. Doesn’t something about that scream ‘dark and tragic past’?_

_Alibaba is typing. . ._

            Alibaba: _I don’t understand what you’re saying._

            Akira: _I’ll tell you my story if you tell me yours. Mine’s not nearly as bad, but it might help you get more comfortable._

_Alibaba is typing. . ._

            Alibaba: _Okay. Go ahead._

            Akira grinned at his micro victory. _If she’s agreeing to talk to me about it, I’ve made progress. . . All I have to do is tell her my story, huh?_ He furrowed his brow as he thought about what to say. In truth, until several months ago, his story wasn’t really anything interesting. The only thing of note was his run in with that drunk guy. . .

            His grin quickly faded and shifted into the makings of a scowl. He told himself he was over it, but every time he remembered that man’s voice a distinct and burning rage started to boil up inside of him. It took all he had to keep his cool and not get flustered any time the words that changed his life, “Damn brat! I’ll sue,” replayed in his head.

            Still, that wasn’t important. Right now, talking to Futaba was. He calmed himself down and started to recount his story.

            Akira: _Well, my life wasn’t really all that interesting before a few months ago. . . Only child in high school, yadda yadda._

            Alibaba: _This isn’t making me feel better about telling you anything, you know._

            Akira: _I’m not done yet._

            Akira: _Anyway, one day I was heading home from . . . studying or something. I forget._

            Alibaba: _You’re already proving to be an unreliable narrator! You’re awful at this!_

            Akira: _Is my testimony being cross examined? I wasn’t aware I had already been reported to the police, miss interrogator._

 

            Across the street, against all odds, an orange haired girl giggled.

 

            Alibaba: _Alright, fine. I’ll keep listening. But only if you try harder!_

            Akira: _Tall order. I’ll see what I can do._

            Akira: _Anyway, I was on my way home from **something** when I heard what sounded like a fight. A man and a woman in some sort of lover’s quarrel, or at least that’s what I thought it was. _

            Akira: _I probably would’ve ignored it, but it sounded like it was getting violent._

            Alibaba: _So your sense of justice kicked in?_

            Akira: _That, or curiosity. Can’t say for sure._

            Alibaba: _Boo. You’re a lame Phantom Thief._

            Akira: _Sorry to disappoint. Anyway, I went to check it out, and he was clearly drunk. Looked like he was forcing the lady into the car._

            Alibaba: _Sounds sketchy._

            Akira: _My thoughts exactly. So, I set a hand on his shoulder. As a sort of ‘Hey, quit it, pal,’ you know?_

            Akira: _Well, he was drunker than I’d thought. Fell right to the ground and knocked his head into the concrete, or a rail or something. When he stood up, his big dumbass forehead was bleeding._

            Akira couldn’t restrain himself from insulting the guy as he recounted the story. Normally he tried to be as lax as possible while telling this tale, which he’d told quite a few times, but something about telling it over the phone, or telling it to Futaba, let him be a little less restrained. Nonetheless, he continued.

            Akira: _He went on about how he was gonna sue me. “Don’t you know who I am?” and all that._

            Akira: _Cops had been called to check on the argument. When they got there, the baldy made the woman he was assaulting say that I just randomly beat the shit out of him when it was clearly an accident._

            Alibaba: _. . . Oh man._

            Akira: _Yep._

            Akira: _Lawyers were called, but no one believed little old me next to that big shot. I got an assault charge on my criminal record, and it was causing trouble for my parents, so I got shipped to some attic in Tokyo to live out my parole._

            Akira: _And now you know the tale of Akira Kurusu, Phantom Thief extraordinaire._

_Alibaba is typing. . ._

            Alibaba: _That seriously pisses me off! Who the hell was that guy!? I’ll get every bit of info the world has on him and do whatever it takes to get you your vengeance!_

            He hadn’t expected that kind of fervor from anyone other than Ryuji (who had pretty much the same reaction when he was told the same story), but the support made him feel a little better. Even if he knew she couldn’t do anything about it.

            Akira: _Apparently, he was so influential that the courts refused to use his name in the case. It was Akira Kurusu vs. Dumbass Baldy. I looked for him online a few times, but I kinda just gave up. Couldn’t find anything._

            Akira: _I appreciate the offer, though._

            Alibaba: _Grr, that sucks. . . Rotten adults using their power like that irk me more than anything else._

            Akira smiled.

            Akira: _You’d make a great Phantom Thief, you know. That’s what we’re all about._

            She didn’t respond.

            Akira: _Anyway, I spilled the beans to you. It’s your turn. If you’re comfortable._

_Alibaba is typing. . ._

            Alibaba: _Alright. It’s only fair._

            Alibaba: _My mother’s name was Wakaba Isshiki. She was a magnificent researcher, and the nicest mother ever. . . Even when I threw tantrums and stuff, she was always so kind to me._

            Alibaba: _That is, until a few weeks before she died._

            Akira didn’t really want to ask for more information. He could tell that, even though she was trying to maintain her composure in the way that she typed, this must’ve been hurting her. But if she was willing to say anything, he wanted to know, so he could help her.

            Akira: _Do you mind telling me what happened?_

_Alibaba is typing. . ._

            He bit the inside of his cheek as he waited for a response. This was the most anxious he’d felt in a long time.

            Alibaba: _We were out one day, when she started acting strange. No matter how much I tried to talk to her, she wouldn’t respond. . . I pulled on her arm and tried to drag her forward, but nothing worked._

            Akira bit the inside of his cheek. He knew what was coming next in the story; he’d seen it on one of the murals on the walls. If they were to believed, that meant the next thing that happened was . . .

            Alibaba: _Everything seemed to go in slow motion after that. My mom tore away from my arm, and she_

_Alibaba is typing. . ._

            Alibaba: _She jumped into the street. A car hit her._

            Akira already knew, but hearing it from the girl it impacted most made things hurt so much more somehow. He wanted to console her, but he knew there were no words that would make it okay. Nonetheless, he tried.

            Akira: _I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine what it feels like for you. If there’s anything I can do, please tell me._

            Alibaba: _After she died, some guys came to my house. Apparently she wrote a suicide note that morning._

            She didn’t even seem to notice his attempts to make her feel better. 

            Alibaba: _It was about how much she hated me. All the terrible things I’d done to her. I never stopped bothering her. She couldn’t research. I made her miserable._

            Alibaba: _I’m the reason my mom died. That’s why I have to die too._

            Those words brought an icy coldness over Akira’s entire body, like something had taken hold of him. Something like a panic seized total control over him. _She really is planning to die in there!_ His fingers scrambled across his phone screen as he frantically composed a message to her.

            Akira: _Futaba? Are you alright?_

            He got the error message.

            Akira: _Hang on! I’m coming over!_

            He got the error message, but it didn’t matter – he had already shot out of bed and slipped his shoes on.

 

            “Sorry, Sojiro . . .” he muttered under his breath as he unlocked the door with a makeshift lockpick. Morgana’s thieving lessons had come in handy – Akira could even pick locks in real life after all the practice he’d gotten in the Metaverse. Normally he would’ve taken a moment to arrogantly celebrate his accomplishment, but time was of the essence. He stepped into the house as quietly and quickly as he could before making his way toward Futaba’s room.

            The “Do Not Enter!” sign hung on the door like always, and Akira allowed himself a sigh of relief. _At least I remembered where her room was. Now all I have to do is . . ._

            He took a step forward, but then he froze.

_What am I doing?_

            Akira knew he wanted to help Futaba. He wasn’t sure why, but he at least knew that. What perplexed him more was why he was going to such great lengths. He’d broken into her home, and was about to knock on her door in the middle of the night with no invitation or even confirmation that it was okay for him to barge in. She probably wouldn’t welcome such a strange visit – hell, she hadn’t even wanted to speak to him through a door last time he’d come here with the other Phantom Thieves, and she was probably in a considerably better mood that time. Now she was sure to turn him down. _Am I wasting my time?_

            He grit his teeth. _No. I . . . I want to help her._ Akira steeled his resolve, and knocked on her door.

            "Futaba?” he said, quietly enough that it wouldn’t reverberate throughout the house, but hopefully loudly enough that she could hear him. “Are you in there?”

            There was no response, as he’d expected. But he wasn’t about to give up.

            “I’m sorry for asking what happened to your mom. Remembering that probably really hurt you. But . . . don’t do anything crazy, alright?” He spoke with a rehearsed kindness, but there was just a bit of desperation in his request. “I don’t want you to get hurt,” he added.

            Again, she didn’t say anything. If she was even there.

            Akira swallowed hard. He wasn’t the type to jump to conclusions, and every logical part of his head was saying she was probably either sleeping or ignoring him, but that part of him couldn’t overshadow the immense worry that she might hurt herself. _I have to get a response from her to make sure she’s okay. I just have to._ He tried to think of something he could say that would for sure catch her interest.

            “We’re . . . we’re stealing your heart tomorrow.”

            That was a lie. Tomorrow was supposed to be the Phantom Thieves’ day of rest where they prepared for the heist. But now, after hearing her recount the story of her mother’s death, he knew even one day was too much time to put things off. He had to take care of this as soon as possible. If he had to do it alone, he would.

            His phone vibrated. Akira’s hand had never shot into his pocket so quickly.

            Alibaba: _Are you serious?_

            He almost collapsed to the floor. “Yes, I’m serious,” he said, trying not to let his immense relief creep into his voice. “Tomorrow is the day. It’ll all be better. So . . . please hang in there until then, okay?”

            “. . . Okay.”

            A quiet, somewhat hoarse voice, squeaked out from the other side of the door. Akira could barely hear the one utterance, and for a second assumed he must’ve been hearing things, but he knew it could’ve only been one thing. Joy swelled up within him at the one simple word that told him she was going to be okay.

            “Alright. Thank you, Futaba,” he said, wearing the widest smile he had in a long time. “I’m, uh . . . gonna go home. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

            She didn’t respond, though he didn’t expect her too. He exited the house as quietly as he could.

 

            Alibaba: _Why were you in my house, anyway?_

            Akira: _I wanted to make sure you were alright._

            Akira was back in bed, bundled up tightly despite the overbearing summer heat. It was late, and he knew he was going to be tired tomorrow, but he needed time to decompress. Plus, Futaba was still talking to him, and he wanted her to be in the best mood possible.

            Akira: _I’m so sorry for asking what I did. Try not to think about it, okay?_

            Alibaba: _Okay. I won’t._

            Akira: _Good._

            Akira: _It’s late. Shouldn’t you get to bed?_

            Alibaba: _It’s you who should be getting to bed. Don’t you have important things to do tomorrow?_

            Alibaba: _If you push this back any further, I’ll never forgive you!_ _(_ _￢_ ___ _￢_ _)_

            Akira: _You’re right. I should probably go to bed._

            Akira: _Have a nice night, Futaba._

            Alibaba: _Okay._

            She didn’t tell him off for calling her by name. That was a first. He chuckled quietly as he rolled over in his bed and closed his eyes. _Tomorrow’s the day, huh? Hang in there, Futaba. I’m coming for you. I promise._


End file.
